1,500 Allentown Residents To Grade City's Performance

Fifteen hundred Allentown residents will be given a chance this week to let the city know how they feel about the way it's run.

For the third year, the city is sending questionnaires to randomly selected citizens to get their views. The questionnaires will be mailed today.

Mayor Joseph S. Daddona said the information gleaned from similar surveys in 1982 and last year contributed significantly to budget and policy decisions.

"We are asking again this year because it appears Allentown will be facing even more difficult budget decisions this year and in the future.

"Allentown may be losing millions of dollars in federal funds. We will have to make up this potential shortfall by raising revenues or cutting services - or both. We would like to hear from our citizens as we make these decisions."

The first question in the survey is: "In order to avoid or minimize tax increases, would you be willing to have city services reduced a lot, only a little, or not at all?"

In addition to rating the services, they will indicate where spending should be increased, cut back or remain the same.

Other questions will deal with the need to increase taxes, the performance of the administration in governing the city, and profiles of the participants.

The final question is: "How would you rate the questionnaire?"

Ilene Staff, city research and intergovernmental relations officer, said the questionnaire is modeled after the one prepared last year by Christopher Herrick and Alton Slane of Muhlenberg College's political science department and city staff members.

Staff, who is schooled in research and statistics, will interpret the results and give them to members of the administration, city council and bureau heads.

The number of questionnaires being mailed is 500 more than last year "to get a little more information," she said.

They be are to be filled out and returned to the city by July 8.

Staff paid tribute to retired women from the Catholic Social Agency for volunteering to fold the questionnaires and place them in envelopes. The printing was done in City Hall.